Lesson 87
Verb Measures II–IV Augmented Verbs
الأفعال المزيدة: أفعل فعّل فاعل
Forms II, III, and IV add letters to the root to create new meanings. These are the most common augmented forms and unlock hundreds of new verbs and verbal nouns.
Forms II, III, and IV
FormPatternMeaning changeExample
IIفَعَّلَIntensive / causative / denominativeعَلَّمَ (taught from عَلِمَ knew)
IIIفَاعَلَMutual / reciprocal actionكَاتَبَ (corresponded with)
IVأَفْعَلَCausative / state-enteringأَسْلَمَ (submitted became Muslim)
Masdars of Forms II–IV
FormMasdar patternActive participleExample
IIتَفْعِيلمُفَعِّلتَعْلِيم مُعَلِّم
IIIفِعَال / مُفَاعَلَةمُفَاعِلجِهَاد مُجَاهِد
IVإِفْعَالمُفْعِلإِسْلَام مُسْلِم
عَلَّمَ الْإِنسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ وَعَلَّمَكَ مَا لَمْ تَكُنْ تَعْلَمُ
ʿAllama l-insāna mā lam yaʿlam wa-ʿallamaka mā lam takun taʿlam
"He taught man what he did not know." (96:5) "And He taught you what you did not know." (4:113) Form II عَلَّمَ (causative of عَلِمَ) double object construction.
أَسْلَمَ وَجْهِي لِلَّهِ وَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ
Aslamtu wajhī lillāh Wa-anzala llāhu ʿalayka l-kitāb
"I have submitted my face to Allah." (3:20) "Allah has sent down upon you the Book." (4:113) Form IV أَسْلَمَ (state-entering) and أَنْزَلَ (causative of نَزَلَ).
- Form II shaddah on middle letter: عَلَّمَ, كَرَّمَ, قَدَّمَ the doubling is the diagnostic feature.
- Form III long ā after first root letter: قَاتَلَ (fought), جَاهَدَ (strove), سَاعَدَ (helped) the mutual/towards-each-other sense.
- Form IV أَـ prefix: أَسْلَمَ, أَكْرَمَ, أَنْزَلَ causative ("made X happen") or state-entering ("entered the state of X").
- Form II is the most versatile: intensity (كَسَّرَ smashed), causation (عَلَّمَ taught), denomination (قَبَّلَ kissed, from قُبْلَة).
- Form IV masdar (إِفْعَال) underlies core Islamic vocabulary: إِسْلَام, إِيمَان, إِنْزَال, إِكْرَام, إِحْسَان most theological terms use this pattern.